Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to continue peaceful divorce talks

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have received court approval to continue negotiating their divorce privately.

The 42-year-old actress filed for divorce from the 54-year-old star in 2016 but the custody of their children - Maddox, 16, Pax, 14, Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 11, and nine-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne - and the distribution of their assets is yet to have been decided.

Sources close to the case told The Blast that the pair's talks have been "very amicable" and peaceful, and they filed court documents, obtained by the publication, asking to extend the "temporary judge" in their case.

The pair were granted approval to continue negotiations away from the public eye, with everything said to be going smoothly.

Last year, the former power couple agreed to a temporary custody agreement with the kids in Angelina's custody and visitation rights given to Brad.

But the 'Fury' star has always insisted he would like joint custody.

Last summer, it was claimed the pair - who married in 2014 after spending almost a decade together - had put their divorce on hold, sparking speculation they could be set to reconcile.

However, this was later played down by insiders, with one insisting it "couldn't be further from the truth".

The source added: "Both sides are hashing out both child custody and property settlements, and the divorce is full steam ahead."

Brad and Angelina were said to be merely taking a break in their divorce proceedings in order to have time to properly sort out their finances.

A source previously said: "A reunion is incredibly unlikely...

"First and foremost, it's about money. They have so many properties and so many areas their pre-nup doesn't cover.

"For instance, Brad wants to keep their estate in France and keep up their wine brand, while Ange wants to sell the property and use it all for charity.

"Also, Brad has a collection of early 20th century furnishings that's worth about $10 million, and Angelina wants that sold too.